A320 wing-tip brakes C/Bs

[Gggggg]

Hi all!

What is so critical about the wing-tip brakes that Airbus installed red collars around the associated circuit breakers to prevent pulling them?

Surely they are important, but there are many other equally important systems (ELACs, SECs, FACs, engine fire loops etc. come to mind) that do not have this sort of C/B protection.

Any ideas?

[Max Angle]

Because if the wing tip brake fails to work when a flap asymmetry is detected it leads within seconds to a loss of control which will probably not be recoverable, certainly not at low level.

[Jonty]

Think that sums it up quite nicely!

[Locked door]

The logic is a little different to that. The collars are there because inadvertently pulling the CB’s results in a non reversible application of the wingtip brakes. Annoying on the ground as a lengthy maintenance procedure is required to release them, a safety implication in flight as your slats / flaps are now locked in their current position until you are on the ground and the tech department can climb up to the WTB’s and manually release them.

The collars are there to prevent accidental pulling of safety critical CB’s with a non reversible consequence which would have a negative impact on flight safety.

All the other CB’s you mention have a reversible effect, i.e. when you push the CB back in the system comes back online.

[Max Angle]

That is is interesting info, thanks for posting.

[SOPS]

Ok, I have to ask. What is a wingtip brake?

[Luc Lion]

Look here:
https://www.micro-epsilon.in/applications/branch/Aerospace/Sichere-Aerodynamik/
and here
https://www.theaviation.in/2021/05/what-is-wing-tip-brake-on-a320-aircraft.html

[Locked door]

In simple terms the wing tip brake prevents flap / slat asymmetry. If unequal extension of the flaps / slats starts to occur the brakes on both wings lock all the flaps / slats in their current position before roll control is lost. Once engaged, they can only be released by a maintenance procedure on the ground.